Breathtaking Nostalgia
by tr0ublex
Summary: "Today—today a man came to talk to us as well. He said he was from District 12 and his eyes are the same colour as yours—he kept looking at me and he said that his best friend was the—what was it, the mockingbird? No! Mockingjay. Did you know him?" Katniss' mouth fell open ever so slightly. "Only vaguely."


**A/N: This one shot is based off of a headcanon I came across on Tumblr. The headcanon was one of many written by a girl named Bianca; you should check them out, they're amazing and they're all based off of The Hunger Games. I have permission from the writer to post this adaptation of her story and you can visit the original piece at post/14779015276. I hope you enjoy this! (And for those of you that are wondering – Peeta & Katniss' daughter in this story is named Fia which means "flame".) Also, I am aware that Finnick and Annie had a son, but for the sake of the story, they will have had a girl.**

"Settle down now," a plump woman called out to the room full of teenagers who chattered excitedly. She smoothed her black hair into a ponytail and clasped her hands in front of her, patiently. "As you know, we are expecting guests today. They have just arrived and while they speak, I would like you to show respect. The topic they are discussing is a very fragile one and is not to be joked about. Understood?"

The students murmured in response as they took their seats and waited. All eyes were glued to the door. It creaked open and one by one, twelve adults of all shapes and sizes filed through. Some smiled and some looked solemn and they all seemed to be out of place in the cozy classroom of curious teenagers.

"The people I have invited to speak to you today are not just ordinary people; they are special and have gone through things you cannot imagine. Each of them was affected by The Hunger Games years ago and while you listen to their story, I hope that you learn to appreciate what you have and find a different way of looking at life." Their teacher smiled at the men and women and stepped aside, allowing them to begin. The guests started from the oldest of the twelve to the youngest.

The first person to speak was a man. He was tall but his back was hunched over and his right arm seemed to hang lazily by his side. The little hair he had left was almost pure white and he had faint freckles across his cheekbones. His eyes were brown and he smiled softly at the crowd in front of him.

He cleared his throat. "I am Americus. I was born in District 5 and I took part in the 22nd Huger Games," he drawled slowly but steadily. "I volunteered for my younger brother Marlin; he was 15 at the time and I was 17. During the Games, I lost my arm to frost bite while I was lost in the mountains; it was snowing and I only had a thin jacket on. The arm I have now is made of a rubber material and unfortunately I don't have any control over it."

Americus paused to catch his breath and a hand shot up in the air. He nodded in its direction and a red haired boy named Wylden smiled, opening his mouth to speak.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, what was your most vivid memory of the Games?"

The corner of the old man's mouth lifted slightly and he thought for a moment. "I was walking through a forest during a blizzard and I thought I heard my brother calling me. I followed the direction it came from but when I went to walk in the direction, I heard it from another, and another, until he started screaming and it filled my head; in that moment I wanted nothing more than to win and return home to him. He died a year later."

Next was a woman named Amore. She was not nearly as old as Americus but she was frail and her skin sagged. Her hair was gray and curly and she smiled pleasantly. She was from District 9 and her husband was killed in the 37th Hunger Games.

"We had married at 16," she said. "We were raised together and I knew I loved him, even as a young girl. After that, we could no longer wait. We were married for a year and a half before he was killed by a forest fire in his sleep. I live with his sister now, and every day I feel his presence surrounding me. I would have liked to have him by my side, all old and wrinkly as I am now," Amore laughed sadly. "But I suppose there was something else planned for him."

Tazin from District 10 stood up after Amore; his twin sister was the second last tribute alive in the 40th Hunger Games before she starved to death.

Then came Ryell from District 3, a man who watched his girlfriend fight to death during the 45th Games; and soon after was Emelda, a woman who grew up training with her best friend Saphire in District 1. Saphire was mauled by a wild tiger in the 58th Games.

Parsnip came next; she was a victor from District 6 and she won the 59th Hunger Games by using jungle vines to create traps before feeding her victims poison. She had a speech disability after damaging her vocal chords while trying to escape a fire so it was hard to understand her.

Chrysma, a close friend of Parsnips helped her to tell her story. She then continued on with hers, telling the class that she was born in District 2 and her younger brother drowned trying to hide from tracker jackers during the 64th Games. After that, her sister burned down their house while on a rampage, killing her parents and infant brother. Alder spoke after Chrysma. He was a victor from District 8 and he won the 68th Games by beheading his fellow tributes with a sword. He was a bit twitchy and he had a lazy eye that wandered off into other directions.

The next to speak was a heavily pregnant woman. She had dark skin and her hair hung around her face limply. "Hello friends. I come to you from District 11."

One of the students, a slim girl with strawberry blonde hair gasped to herself; her mother once told her about a friend from District 11 that died in The Hunger Games. The brunette boy sitting next to her squeezed her hand.

"My name is Cyri," the woman continued. "My 18 year old sister was in the 73rd Hunger Games but she died on the second day." Cyri's eyes glazed over and began to water but she composed herself quickly. "She was stabbed by one of the tributes in a fight for food.

I remember that day well. I was 20 at the time and we were gathered in the square to watch the Games. I held my mother tight and when the canon went off to announce her death, my father fell to the ground and sobbed. I had never seen him cry so hard and he began to yell and curse the Capitol until the Peacekeepers took him away and beat him black and blue. My mother never spoke another word after that."

Cyri wiped her eyes before taking a seat on the side, allowing a man from District 7 to step up. His name was Ivan and his friend Blaze was slaughtered in the 73rd Hunger Games.

After Ivan, an especially tall man stepped up to the front. He had brown hair and his eyes were a dull gray.

_Seam eyes_, the girl thought, clutching her companion's hand tighter.

The man cleared his throat and looked around at all the bodies waiting for him to begin. He scanned each of their faces until he got to the blonde girl and the boy next to her. His gray eyes widened before becoming sad and his expression faltered. He began to speak, avoiding her eager gaze.

"I'm Gale and I'm from District 12." He paused, swallowing hard. "My—my best friend, uh, she um—she volunteered for her little sister in the 74th Games." Gale took a deep breath. "I watched her go through hell and back because she promised her sister she would win. She had already gone through so much in life, and there she was, being tortured and played with.

She—she meant a lot to me. It killed me to see her fighting for her life. I hated the Capitol with everything in me. And then she was chosen for the 75th Games as well." His eyes kept flickering to the girl in the crowd.

The class erupted into a fit of gasps and murmurs. They all knew who he was referring to.

"She did everything she could to try and save her partner. She didn't care about herself after that, she only cared about getting him out alive. And all I could do was watch on the screen during my shift in the mines; I felt so helpless.

But she was the Mockingjay and I suppose she eventually figured that out because she did it. And because of her, all of you are sitting here today with freedom at your fingertips." He sent another glance in the girl's direction.

He let out a sad sigh and stepped aside, composing himself.

The girl noticed his constant gaze on her from time to time. She tried to avoid it, looking anywhere but his face. She kept her head down but listened intently. His story touched her greatly.

Lastly, a girl named Delphina—about a year or two older than her—took to the front of the class. She smiled warmly. Her hair was a gorgeous auburn and her eyes were bright; they were teal coloured and reminded the girl of the ocean.

However, though she smiled happily, there were scars on the side of her face. One started from just under her earlobe to her jaw. The others were small and faint, only showing with certain shades of lighting. But they were still there.

"I was born here, in District 13. But my parents were from District 4. They were both victors in different Games but my father died before I was born. He was killed in the Uprising just after the third Quarter Quell. " Delphina scratched her arm nervously. "My mother is named Annie. You may know her, she was a victor in the 70th Games just after my father; she hid for most of the Games, not knowing what to do but she was a great swimmer and that's how she survived. She was 18. I live with her still but my mother was scarred deeply by these Games. She saw horrible things—things she won't even tell me—and many people made fun of her for it. The Games drove her mad.

Sometimes I'll hear her screaming at night. She cries a lot and she keeps my father's picture under her pillow, but I understand. She misses him a lot. Sometimes she finds it hard to speak and she has a difficulty producing words. She shakes a lot, too, and it kills me to see her that way."

The room was dead silent and the blonde girl felt her eyes well up with tears.

"But my mother always mentions a woman's name; Katniss, I think. My mother said she tried to save my father's life. I don't really know who Katniss is but I thank God that she exists."

Gale's jaw clenched at the mention of his lost love's name.

The blonde girl raised her hand in the air. Delphina smiled. "Yes?"

"Katniss is my mother's name."

Delphina's smile slowly faded and the rest of her classmates looked to her. She didn't really talk about her family so it was normal for them to be surprised.

"I'm Fia Mellark. My parents were the victors of the 74th games and—they started the Uprising."

Gale felt his heart drop into his chest. His lungs felt like they were shrinking and his throat closed up. Katniss married Peeta. They had a child together. They were married.

Fia's gray-blue eyes glazed over once more. "I'm sorry about your father. I think my mother has a picture of him in one of her books." Her lips trembled. "She told me that if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have known what to do to stop the war. Whenever she says her prayers, she flips to each page and there's a different picture. She holds three fingers to it and closes her eyes."

Nobody said a word. Not even Delphina.

"O—okay class, let's tidy up. You all can go home early, it's the end of the week," the teacher stuttered, breaking the silence. Chairs screeched and the teens shuffled around the room, thanking the guests and leaving.

Fia sat in her chair, silent. The boy next to her took her hand again, as he got up. "Fi," he murmured. "Let's go."

"No—Gavin, these people, they went through hell," she said. Her eyes no longer sparkled with curiosity.

"Fia," he repeated. She sighed, getting up and following him to the door. On her way out, she was stopped by Delphina.

"Can I meet your mother?" Delphina asked quietly.

Fia turned to look at Gavin, unsure. He nodded in assurance and she returned her gaze to Delphina. "Yeah, she's at home. You can come with us."

As they spoke, Gale leaned against the tiled wall, his gaze not leaving Fia's back. His eyes lingered on her hair; it was blonde like Peeta's, but only slightly darker like Katniss'. She had seam eyes, too.

When the trio left to go to Fia's house, he lingered behind them slowly. He was interested but his heart still ached for Katniss. He had to see her, even just a glimpse of her again. It had been so long…

Fia led Delphina and Gavin through a beautiful field full of primroses and daisies. Eventually, they made their way onto a stone path that led to several large houses. She ushered them through the blue front door, calling out for her mother.

"Fia?" came Katniss' voice. "Why are you home so early?"

Gale's breath hitched at the echo of her voice. Soft, but scratchy.

"We had a presentation…um, one of the guests, she wants to meet you."

"Me? Oh alright," called her mother, coming down the stairs. When her eyes landed on Delphina, recognition flickered within her and she stopped. "What—Peeta!" she yelled.

"What?" came another voice.

"Come quickly!" she said, walking all the way down the stairs. "My god, what's your name?"

"I'm Delphina Odair."

A blonde man entered the room. "Odair?"

Fia looked to her dad. "She said that her mom's name is Annie."

Tears blocked Delphina's vision as she gazed upon the couple. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around Katniss' frame as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Thank you for all you've done of my family. Thank you so much."

Katniss' mouth opened but no sound came out. She placed her arms around the girl as well, holding her close. "There's no need to thank me."

Fia stood awkwardly beside Gavin, not saying a word. Peeta's face contorted into a slow but breathtaking smile as he watched the scene unfold.

Delphina left the Mellark household when the sun began to set in the sky. Fia laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling, pondering on the events that took place that day. She couldn't shake the memory of that man—the handsome one with the sad eyes. He kept looking at her. Some of the glances she received held distaste, while others held yearning and nostalgia. She wanted—_needed—_to know more about him.

Katniss entered her room moments later with a cup of herbal tea. She smiled affectionately and sat at the end of the bed, handing the cup to her daughter.

"Mom?"

"Yes, little duck?"

"Today—today a man came to talk to us as well. He said he was from District 12 and his eyes are the same colour as yours—he kept looking at me and he said that his best friend was the—what was it, the _mockingbird_? No! Mocking_jay_. Did you know him?"

Katniss' mouth fell open ever so slightly and she sucked in a sharp breath, her mind searching for the right words.

"Only vaguely."

Fia nodded, not pushing any further. She sipped her tea in silence as her mother patted her leg and left, closing the door behind her.

Katniss walked down the hallway and into her bedroom. Her husband looked up and put his book down, uncrossing his legs and beckoning her over. She did not speak, but instead approached him cautiously, sitting between his legs. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist and pulled the neck of her shirt passed her shoulder, placing a butterfly kiss on it.

Peeta didn't need words to know that she was upset. He rubbed the side of her arms soothingly and trailed occasional kisses along her neck and shoulder blades. Katniss sat with him in thought, reminiscing about a simpler time, a simpler life.

_First discovering the gaping hole in the once-electrical fence. _

_The way Gale called her "Catnip". _

_How they would race to hunt more game than the other. _

_Sitting in his kitchen on rainy days, eating hot stew. _

_Covering herself in leaves and jumping up to scare him. _

_Lying in the meadow in a comfortable silence._

She would never admit it to anyone, but she missed her dear friend quite often. It was not rare that he would cross her mind as she lay awake at night. Whenever she came to the page holding Prim's photo, she would picture him smiling with her and Prim in the front yard as they observed frogs they had gathered in a bucket.

But then she would grow melancholic and she would hear the countdown of the bomb. She'd see the smoke and the flames and she'd hear screaming. The sound of rubble as it fell all around her.

And she'd force herself to push it away and forget about him.

She exhaled loudly, melting into Peeta's embrace and closing her eyes.

"Sleep, love," he whispered into the nape of her neck. She nodded and scooted to the space beside him, getting under the covers. She heard the click of the lamp and the room filled with darkness. He pulled her body into his, kissing her forehead.

"It's okay to miss him."

Her body tensed and she blinked back tears.

"He misses you, too."

It was then that he felt the tears seep through his shirt and he laid with her in the darkness, being her comfort and security once again.

"Why did he come back, Peeta? Why couldn't he just stay gone?"

"Once a person loves you, Katniss, they can never stop."


End file.
